Too Late
by HedgieX
Summary: Alex has been stabbed by evil psychopath Jim, just as Gene turns up and reveals that he had been about to propose to her. Shaz, Chris and Ray are, as always, on hand to join in with the adventure - basically random drabble for anyone who misses Ashes!


**I know it's weird, and I've got no idea where this story is going, but me and my friend Bethany (who helped write this FanFiction!) have always had this obsession with Jim being some kind of evil psychopath baddy, so...**

**This story is dedicated to anyone who has ever watched Ashes to Ashes, and to everyone who loved it. Please review xxx**

A gunshot rang out across the city, and a bird flew from the tree outside Fenchurch East CID in fear, chirping loudly. Alex stumbled to the ground, clutching her side. Jim looked down at her, smiling wickedly. There were no witnesses.

"Jim... Jim... help me, please! Don't leave me... on my own!" she pleaded as he dropped the gun down the nearest drain and turned away from her, "I don't want to die!"

Just then, Alex heard the familiar screeching of the Quattro tyres. She winced: the pain was starting to take over. She knew what came next; this had happened before.

"Gene..." she moaned.

"He hasn't seen you, Alex."

She shook her head, "He will. He has to."

Jim kicked her side, making her bleed more.

"Jim, please... help me!"

"You deserved it, Alex," he took a needle out of his pocket and inserted it into her, "You'll sleep now."

"No!" she whispered, weak.

"Don't cry. You won't be in pain any more," he told her softly, wiping her tears away, staring down at her with his large eyes, "You'll be with Molly again. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes... but I want to stay with Gene. I want him to... to..."

"To what?" asked Jim.

"I love him," she whispered, her eyes flickering shut, "I love him."

Jim leapt up as she fell unconscious, wiped the blood from his hands onto his trousers, smiled smugly, "I'm sorry, Alex. But it's over."

He held her in his arms. Then he heard a loud shouting behind him: he jumped up, and Alex's body slumped to the ground.

"You bastard!" Gene yelled. Another bird flew from the tree behind them at the sudden sound.

"Chill, Gene. Think about your language. That's a quid in the swear tin."

"Piss off."

"Two quid," Jim grinned, like he'd just won a game of Monopoly, "Expensive lad, aren't you?"

Gene groaned, "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing," muttered Jim. He tried to push Alex's body out of view, but Gene ran to her side. "She can't hear you, Gene."

"Alex, please. Look, I need to talk to you," he said tearfully. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, bent down and kissed her cheek.

She stayed frozen, not moving. He cried, his tears falling down and hitting her. Jim stood watching the emotional scene, tapping his foot.

"Anyway, did I not tell you? She's dead."

"She can't be," sobbed Gene.

"I'm sorry, the robbers... they... they shot her, as they ran past," Jim lied.

"Have you called an ambulance?"

"No, I was trying to keep her awake," Jim held up his blood stained hands, as though trying to prove himself, "I don't want to upset you, Gene, but she said some funny things before she fell unconscious."

"Like what?" he demanded.

"She told me she didn't love you."

"You're lying!" shouted Gene, "And what did you do to try and keep her awake?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does, tell me!"

"I held her in my arms. I rocked her like a baby, I told her everything was okay," Jim let a tear roll down his own cheek, "But it's not okay, because she's dead."

"You held her? She's not dead. You... you're lying!"

"You don't care anyway..."

"I do! I love her!" Gene sobbed.

"She told me she loved me. So she hates you, Gene. Get over it."

"Gov, what's go... oh my God!" Shaz came running out of the police station, her hair flying out behind her, "Oh my God, ma'am!"

Chris and Ray followed her out too, both looking shocked. Chris wrapped his arms around Shaz, hid her eyes, "It's okay, baby. Don't look."

She pulled Chris's hands away, then covered her mouth as she saw Alex again, tears pouring down her face suddenly. Gene knelt at Alex's side and clasped her hand.

"What happened, Gov?" Chris glanced between Gene and Jim as she hugged Shaz, "Other gov?"

"A robber shot her," Jim mumbled.

"Has someone got an ambulance?" Ray rolled his eyes, and talked into his radio, "We need an ambulance to the station faster than you can say _bacon butty_."

"There's no point – she'll be dead in a minute," said Jim.

Gene kissed Alex's lips softly, not listening to Jim at all now. He was a liar. He didn't matter. "Please wake up; I need you, Bolly."

"She can't be dead," Shaz shook herself off Chris again and crouched down next to her friend, "Please, ma'am. We need you. We can't do it without you."

"Come on, Gene; don't cry. You're making Shaz upset too," Jim told him.

Ray looked suspicious, "They can cry if they want to. She was their friend. Don't you care for her at all?"

Jim shrugged, looking at Gene, who mumbled, "She was so much more than a friend to me."

"What do you mean?" asked Chris.

"I... well, I..."

"He loved her, Chris," Jim told him, "He wanted to marry her."

"I bought something today," Gene sniffed, pulling a box out of his coat pocket and opening it up to reveal a gleaming ring, "I was going to propose to her in Luigi's tonight."

"Oh my God," Shaz just cried harder.

"But she didn't love you, Gene. She would've said no. It's better this way."

Gene looked at Jim for a moment, then crumpled down beside her, his hands covered in her blood. Shaz sobbed, Chris looked confused, Ray stood staring at his radio in silence.

Jim just smiled.

XxXxX


End file.
